20 Soldiers to Face General Court Martial

Twenty soldiers of the Nigerian Army are to face General Court Martial for offences ranging from murder to sale of firearms in the fight against insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country.
The acting General Officer Commanding, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezugwu, while inaugurating the General Court Martial (GCM) on Wednesday, to try the soldiers, said the offences were committed within the theatre of Operation Lafiya Dole.
Ezugwu said that some of the accused, whose ranks varies, were involved in criminal activities which include murder, crimes against civilians, and illegal sales of firearms.
He said, “The court martial is to achieve timely and quick dispensation of justice within the framework provided in relevant statute books.
“Therefore, it is important that both the prosecution and the accused persons or their counsels are mindful of this fact and strive to shun all forms of antics such as request for frivolous adjournments which could lead to delays in the trial processes.
“It is often said in the legal parlance that, justice delayed is justice denied.”
He tasked the President and members of the GCM to carry out the assignment in accordance with the appropriate extant laws, without fear or favour and to ensure that their decisions were not clouded by sentiments.
The GOC said over a hundred soldiers have been tried and punished at the Brigade level over acts of indiscipline and unprofessionalism.
Responding, the President of the court, Brig. Gen. Adeniyi promised that the accused would be given fair hearing.
“I must assured all especially the accused that they have nothing to fear, we are going to be fair to all of them and be guided by the constitution and all other military laws. We would be fair and just. There are higher courts were the judgment here can be appealed. You have the right for legal representation.
“We are not going to allow for any unnecessary delay, justice delayed they say is justice denied”, Gen. Adeniyi added.